Telehealth

Virtual care and digital health tools can play a pivotal role – in both urban and rural areas – when natural disasters strike. 

This week's top stories include AstraZeneca being questioned over outdated information in its vaccine trials, Everlywell acquiring PWNHealth, and reports of problems with the VA's new Cerner EHR system.

During the first four months of COVID-19, telehealth visits accounted for 23.6% of all interactions – compared with 0.3% of contacts during the same time period in 2019.

Digital health group Cardihab has partnered with Tasmania’s health department and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, an aeromedical organisation, to roll out its Cardihab app in public hospitals throughout the state.

Dr. Vivek Murthy will return to the job he held during the Obama administration, while Dr. Rachel Levine makes history as the first openly transgender official to be confirmed by the Senate.

The organization says seniors, during the pandemic, increasingly relied on telehealth to safely access their care.

The provider organization used funds granted from the FCC to buy specialized virtual care units that it placed in schools to test and treat kids.

In a recent study, pediatric clinicians referenced patient demand as the number-one factor driving increased use of telemedicine.

As CMS signals longer-term changes in acute RPM reimbursement and Amazon teams with major providers to push for new policies, clinical and IT leaders should start planning ahead, says one expert. "Everyone has to be thinking about this."

The prototype has cameras and a display screen as well as a waterproof box that can deliver medical supplies or collect tests.